Brief babble 2012 Book list

It's almost the end of the year and I tend to keep a book list of everything I've finished in the year along with some comments. So I figured share and share alike ;)

I don't think I will be posting again before next year. Maybe I will if something bites hard enough, who knows? But if not I hope you have an awesome new year with fresh challenges that you feel confident in overcoming and not those frustrating ones that laugh at you at every turn (I've had an awful year, so sue me).

All the best for the rest!


1. How to ruin your life by 40 - Steve Farrar:
          It was okay... some of the principles were fine and legit. The guy is a little old fashioned and most of the book had to do with choosing the right marriage partner (which makes sense since that's probably the biggest thing in your life besides having children). It's just not really applicable to me in particular. Other than that, definitely has some things one could chew on.

2. A feast for crows - George RR Martin:
          There are so many things he leaves us hanging on in this book. Evil, evil author. But still a series I enjoy. This is actually the second time I've read the Song of Ice and Fire series through. I know 'A dance with dragons' is out, but I'm waiting for the paperback version... which looks like it's going to take a while if you consider how long I've been waiting for 'Rogue' by Trudy Canavan to go soft.

3. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
          I really enjoyed this book. Dark, somewhat twisted but beautifully executed. Jeff not only managed to convey Dexter's "strangeness" but made you believe it too. You felt his confusion and understood his amusement. I grinned through most of the book and worried through the last. I have to say that the shift to mortal peril was a little jagged and random. But it was a good read. Somewhere in future, I'll definitely get my hands on the second book in the series.

4. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
         Short, somewhat sad and disturbing. Lots to take out of it but still not a play that I'd fall over myself recommending.

5. Basilisk Station - David Weber
          The First of the Honor Harrington series. I've read the series so many times through. Love it. David Weber can be somewhat info-dumpy, but it's easy to overcome.

6. Honor of the Queen - David Weber
          Second of the Honor Harrington series. Just as fun as the first if a little slower. Totally different dynamic with a lot more outer politics thrown in.

7. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
         Thought-provoking. Well written and well thought out. I also love the fact that the movie worked to enhance and clarify the book.

8. A Dance with Dragons - George R R Martin
         Took me over two months to read! Interesting, surprising, confounding. It finally appears as if the real players are beginning to reveal their cards. Still seems far to go though. I wonder how long it'll take for the next book to appear.

9. Equal Rites - Terry Pratchet
        My first step into the Witches series of Discworld. It was a rather interesting journey. I found it a little slow going but it said a lot more than what was written. Very thoughtful approach to gender roles and what is expected and unexpected. I LOVED the concept of headology :) Granny Weatherwax is an interesting character.

10. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
        Intriguing. Magic based on science, a well thought out system that is fed to you slowly and steadily as the main character beomces more competent. It was a really interesting read. I admit it took a couple of chapters to pull me in, but I eventually got to the point where I couldn't stop reading. You'll sit through most of the book speculating about what's going to happen at the end. In my case I was about 50% right... but I wasn't disappointed by my accuracy. I felt quite proud that I had guessed correctly. Rewarding the reader is the best way to get them to your side. ;)

11. The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
        I have some mixed feelings about this one. I only got interested by what I was reading 600 pages in (nope, not making this up). It took me far longer to finish the book than it should have because of how much of a slog it was to get through. Oh the characters were interesting, but it just never got anywhere until the end. Sanderson has amazing setups, but he is his own worst enemy. Instead of keeping important things secret, he ends up blurting them out in the very next page. With that being said, he put it one helluva amazing twist in the very end of the book that made your heart drop into your shoes. I have to read the last book now because of that even if it ends up being a slog too. Bastard.

12. Mass Effect: Revelation - Drew Karpyshyn
         I was rather apprehensive about reading a Mass Effect book. I've read a couple of Star Wars extended universe ones, and they've been... very coincidental. I was afraid I'd find something similar in this book. Surprisingly, that was not the case at all. The story was well set out, easy to read without being simple, and finely crafted. It expanded on a well known character without throwing him out of sync with what he appeared like in the games. The book also presented concepts and explanations of the 'verse that broadened and enriched what I already knew. Nice.

13. Mass Effect: Retribution - Drew Karpyshyn
          So I only realised that this is the third book in the series when I was already something like a quarter into it. By then I was already well into the story. Going on about how much the book helped me with getting ideas for my story and how I had to jump up, grab a notepad and start taking notes won't really make anyone all that eager to read it. But Drew Karpyshyn - having been one of the main writers who brought ME & ME2 to life - will pique every ME fan's interest. He knows his lore and shares it freely without boring you.

14. The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson
         A bit of a weird ending to the series. Some interesting twists and turns. It was rewarding in its own way, but I wouldn't exactly call the book satisfying. I'll have to sit on the fence with this one.

15. The Walking Dead - Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn (Issues 1-30)
         I read the first 20 issues a couple of months (or maybe over a year) before the series came out. I thought it was rather interesting - and this from someone who doesn't do horror at all. I decided this year to start from the beginning and work my way through. I've gotten to 30 and it's good. It's not necessarily excellent. I do feel that it's lost its punch, but that seems to be a trend with most graphic novels that don't have a definite end. I know there are some twists coming (don't spoil me), but I'm giving it a break for a bit. There's only so many crazy people you can take at a time.

16. Mass Effect Redemption #1 - Story by: John Jackson Miller & Mac Walters
         Short but rather interesting. Some key moments that link up with Mass Effect 2. I'm not completely convinced of the Liara-Feron friendship. He seems too much of a greasy git and she seems far too passionate about his plight. Not that I'm saying she's interested in him, but seriously? Too much angst, too little foundation.

17. Mass Effect Invasion #1-4 - Story by: John Jackson Miller & Mac Walters
         Again an interesting series detailing the seizure of Omega by Cerberus. It was noteworthy how many plans-within-plans there were. Cerberus are a bunch of seriously sneaky bastards, that's all I'm saying.

Maybe next year I'll keep a list of movies and series too. I'm nerdy enough to do that, after all. :)

Huh??

It's nine days after Nanowrimo and I am still somewhat in a state of shock and disbelief.

What do you mean I can play games now? What do you mean I can stop ignoring those books that have been calling me since October when I was knee deep in planning? What do you mean I can straighten my hunched back (scream at the pain it will induce) and breathe fresh air again?

Is this someone's idea of April Fools? You're too early, bub. Or too late... Whichever blows your hair back.

Okay, I have to say my state of zoned-out zombie girl primarily has to do with the fact that work had me bit by a Walker in January and left me in a fit of spasms and unrelenting pain and fever until now. Sorta. Still working *sigh*

But nano definitely did its part, oh yes it did.

Another thing that adds to the whole dazed expression is that I am still writing. It is risky and surprising in the directions that it is going but it still is going and going and it is terribly lopsided so will need some more work after the first draft.

That definitely also adds to the blank expression punctuated by the occasional bout of drooling.

So what I am hoping to tackle this December in terms of posts.

1 Coursera - probably will be uninteresting to most but toughies for you.

2 The Mistborn trilogy. It took more than half a year but I got through them and can now comment.

3 My santa picture I share EVERY Christmas

4 have noooo clue...




Grrr, arrggg, drool

Book Babble - World War Z by Max Brooks

In 1984, the book The Good War gave an oral history of WW2. It comprised of a massive amount of interviews, ordered so that the reader had an idea of what happened before, during and after the war as well as the aftermath of it all. I haven't read it myself, but I definitely would like to.

This book inspired the one I actually want to talk twak about: World War Z. Subtitled 'An oral history of the zombie war'.

*insert groans - maybe even with almost throatless wheezes*

So let me establish my street cred (or lack of it) right here. I am not a horror fan. I have been following some Zombie stories, but it usually gets a :-/ reaction out of me. I understand they are scary beyond belief, but I don't want to sit and be scared. I'm just not one of those who get kicks out of it. So when it comes to horror stories, you bet my first reaction is to avoid it. This book was recommended to me by a friend. He lent it to me and I sceptically read the first couple of pages (just to humour him, y'know) and got hooked instantly.

You have so many arguments about Zombie outbreaks. Survival guides, what will work, what won't work. I recently glanced at an article on '7 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Outbreak Would Fail (Quickly)' Some non-Geekers out there would ask the question most of us would avoid answering: "Why on earth have such debates on things that aren't real and never will be?" But then, isn't that what scientists do too? (Well, on things not discovered yet, which is an argument we could apply here too).

So what's this book about?
Set in the near future, World War Z is an oral account of the war arranged in sections spanning the beginning, middle and end of the Zombie war (much like The Good War). That humanity won is a given (unless the Zombies had learnt to communicate, write, read and publish - ha). It starts off with the first infection, how the disease spread, denial, and blind panic. Then it starts moving towards overcoming the obstacles, learning, adapting and finally pushing back. The people who gave the accounts spans from all ages, races, countries, cultures and backgrounds: Doctors, body guards, various types of military & navy personnel, government agents, pilots, reporters, emergency broadcasters, film makers, services coordinators, senseis, clean-up crews and the simple refugees.

The good:There's a lot I could say about this book that I found awesome.

• Brooks did his homework... and then some. Nothing in this book felt thumb-sucked. Be it governmental structures, emergency procedures, military doctrine, the types of weaponry available to us and their most relevant specifications or simply what cultures might focus on differently. I can't imagine the months (years) he must have spent just getting all his facts in a row. Unconsciously, he just about answered every single problem mentioned in the article I linked above without even trying.
• Reading through the accounts, I never felt that it was the same guy giving the account with a different name. I can't go as far as to say that every person was so unique that I was immediately transported to their country and culture, but again, Brooks did his homework. Expressions, some speech patters, perspectives more unique to certain cultures, all of that he managed to bring to the table.
• South Africa has a huge part to play in his story: Yes, many others wouldn't find it a big plus point, but I enjoyed seeing names of places I know. The one Afrikaner who gave a few lines did it in exactly the way I have heard other men of my culture speak. It just made me smile. Paul Redeker and his Redeker Report doesn't exist (you'll understand if you read the book), but the mentality behind him and his report was so distinctly old-school Afrikaans that I (raised in a ahem traditional Afrikaans mindset) totally bought it. I could see the old farts of the National Party sitting down and asking the types of questions asked and making the same conclusions. That's nothing short of awesome in my mind.
• He hits very hard questions which makes you sit and puzzle it out for yourself. And sometimes, you don't even manage to find a suitable answer. Such as: my child is starving and there's no food to find anywhere. What would I resort to?
• It's not horror. It's about zombies taking over the world, but the actual accounts have to do about people. It has to do with how we respond to what's going on around us and not about how the creepy crawly is going to chew on you. That means that the horror abhorred reader will get as much of a kick out of it as the fanatic.

The bad:
I think there is only one thing I can say is 'bad' and that's that it can get a little dry after a while. I found myself reading through only one account a day at some point, until it gets interesting again and then I'd shoot through three. So that's the one thing that was a bit of a downer. It's not necessarily that the accounts aren't relevant or that you don't get some information through it that builds onto your perspective of the world you find yourself in. But I guess it's also just a preference to one guy's story more than to another.

The final verdict:
It's a book that I asked my brother to bring down from England as I finished the borrowed book. I think from a writer's perspective this book is a gem. For a more scientific mind where the technology might be far more important than the politics, I think this book will be gratifying. For the Zombie freak, this is a really good book to sink your teeth into.

So in short: GO READ IT!